Introduction
I suppose if I wanted to be rich, I would have titled this, “The ONE Thing”, “The Key to Everything”, “THE ULTIMATE SECRET ANSWER TO LIFE, THE UNIVERSE AND EVERYTHING” or some such overly simplified cliché promising to be the answer to all your problems, challenges, questions, etc… There’s a whole industry of gurus, experts and conferences making such claims and most of them seem to be doing pretty well. My strong temptation is to shout BS! And demand that theres no such thing as a single answer, that the world and life is complex and nuanced and dynamic and that some things are well beyond our capacity and ability to do or know, no matter how essential.
All this is absolutely true. I know personally that the older I get the more I realize how little I know and how much is, and always will be, mystery.
And yet….a few weeks ago we left off with the last verse of 1 Corinthians 12, Paul asserting with uncharacteristic understatement, “But now I want to lay out a far better way for you.” In fact, he could and maybe should have said, “But now I will show you the only way”. So can there be “one thing” as well as “lots of things”?
Let’s dig in this week and find what that way is.
Grace and peace y’all,
John Ray and the teaching team
Text:
A Confession from John 15 (the message)
Reader: Jesus declared he is the Real Vine and his Father is the Farmer, that every branch that is grape-bearing he prunes back so it will bear even more. That if we live in him -make our home in him just as He does in us, the harvest is sure to be abundant.
Everyone: Jesus we make our home in you and you make yours in us. Make this Church good soil for the Vine to take root and the branches to bear fruit.
Reader: Jesus told us the tree will be judged by the fruit.
Everyone: Give us hands to tend the soil, hearts to endure the pruning and ears to hear the song that gives us hope.
Lord’s Prayer
Christ, who taught us to pray saying:
Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come, your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread and forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who’ve sinned against us.
Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
For yours is the kingdom, and the power,
and the glory forever. Amen.
